Chapter 166: Alas, Miss, I Am Betrothed

Watching Lin Jingyue's retreating figure, Xie Wenjuan smiled with a touch of envy in her heart. Such a free-spirited and unrestrained young woman was truly a rare sight.

"Sister Lin, will you and Educated Youth Jiang get into fistfights in the future?" As soon as they stepped out of the office, Tiedan and Niuniu came running up with eager little steps, looking at her with worry in their eyes.

Lin Jingyue was stunned for a moment, not processing it right away. "...Fistfights?"

"Just the kind my uncle and aunt had yesterday. My dad and mom used to fight like that too. Grandma says all married couples fight. Educated Youth Jiang is your fiancé, so if he hits you, can you... can you beat him?"

Even though Sister Lin was super awesome, Educated Youth Jiang was the one who had single-handedly beaten all the village loafers to the ground.

Who was actually stronger? Would Sister Lin end up getting the short end of the stick?

Niuniu clenched her small fists. "Sister Lin, if he hits you, don't try to tough it out. Call for us to help, I'll bite him to death!"

"..."

Sun Lanlan, who had come over to find Lin Jingyue for something, heard this and couldn't help rolling her eyes. "With those two little twig arms and legs of yours, who are you going to beat? You'd be hoisted up by the collar in a second."

She disdainfully picked up each of them with one hand.

The two kids...

Lin Jingyue...

"I think you're even smaller than them."

Sun Lanlan let go of her grip. "Little rugrats, off you go and play."

The two children made funny faces and scampered off.

Lin Jingyue looked at her. "What's up? Something the matter?"

Sun Lanlan hadn't participated in the teacher qualification examination. As a married-out daughter, coupled with the situation of the Cai family, if she had managed to secure a teacher's slot, the others in the production brigade would undoubtedly have felt resentful.

So she simply hadn't gone, and besides, there wasn't any salary anyway.

"It's nothing much, just wanted to ask you, has my body improved at all by now?" She walked side by side with Lin Jingyue out of the school grounds.

Lin Jingyue noticed something a bit off about her voice.

She glanced at her sideways. "Has your old man Cai been nagging you? Doesn't look like it."

"No, it's my mom, she's driving me crazy."

Every time they met, she would interrogate her, hinting and outright demanding that she hurry up and have a child to tie down a man's heart, even claiming she was going to find her some secret herbal formula for conceiving sons.

In short, the constant nagging had driven Sun Lanlan to the point of complete exasperation.

Ah, it was because of Qian Guihua. Lin Jingyue understood and cast a sympathetic look at Sun Lanlan.

Cai's parents had been sent down to the labor farm, and with the elders gone, wasn't Qian Guihua, as the mother-in-law, bound to start taking charge?

Besides, things were just like that in this era; women seemed to exist solely for the purpose of bearing children.

A woman who couldn't bear children was looked down upon not only by her husband's family but by her maiden family as well.

"There's definitely been an improvement, but you mustn't even think about getting pregnant yet. Even if you did conceive, you wouldn't be able to carry it to term, and it would ruin your health. Let's get you properly conditioned first, don't rush. With me around, what on earth are you afraid of?" Lin Jingyue gave her shoulder a hearty, reassuring pat.

"You really believe in me?"

"Of course. Why, are you starting to panic because of your mom's nagging?" The mere thought that she might not be able to give Old Cai a son or a daughter in the future filled her with distress.

Lin Jingyue couldn't use twenty-first-century theories to explain things to her, so she could only resort to lighthearted banter.

Sun Lanlan was carefree by nature, and her attention was quickly diverted.

Then, a mischievous idea popped into her head: her mother was being so overbearing simply because she had too much time on her hands.

After all, both her eldest and second oldest brothers were still bachelors.

A couple of days later, word reached Lin Jingyue that Sun Zhiyuan had gone on a blind date—and that it had been a success.

What's more, the female party involved was an acquaintance.

Shang Meilin, one of the five teachers...

Shang Meilin possessed delicate, pretty features and a gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, though her judgment in men left a bit to be desired.

Of course, Lin Jingyue didn't say anything; anyway, it had nothing to do with her, right?

"Jingyue."

On this particular day, after answering a phone call, Jiang寻 returned with a solemn expression, and Lin Jingyue knew immediately that something had happened.

She didn't press for details, only saying, "These are turbulent times. The best thing you can do is to protect yourself with all your might."

As the sole heir of the Jiang family, it was impossible for him to remain entirely detached from many of these affairs.

The year 1976 was fast approaching, and those at the epicenter of the whirlpool were the most vulnerable.

A wave of tenderness washed over Jiang寻's heart. He gently pulled Lin Jingyue into a brief embrace before releasing her, looking straight into her eyes with earnest intensity. "Rest assured, I will take good care of myself, and you must take good care of yourself too."

His second uncle was away in the Great Northwest, and his father was stationed at a secret base; only his grandfather remained in the capital, which left him uneasy. The injuries his uncle had sustained this time around were far from ordinary.

"By the way, Elder Huo will also be returning to the capital with me."

With Elder Huo present, many people would feel much more at ease.

Lin Jingyue sighed inwardly; her master's dream of enjoying a peaceful retirement was about to go up in smoke.

Jiang寻 left the Qingshan Production Brigade in the morning, and that very afternoon, Lin Jingyue received a phone call from her aunt.

"Yueyue, we are heading back to the capital." After inquiring about Lin Jingyue's recent circumstances, Song Qinglan broached the main topic.

"I will mail you our new address and telephone number. Don't worry, returning to the capital is full of danger, but it's also an opportunity."

Both of them knew precisely what kind of "opportunity" she was referring to.

Lin Jingyue let out a soft sigh. "Be careful in everything. We are in no rush."

"Mm, no rush. After all these years, I have plenty of patience," Song Qinglan replied.

Her voice sounded calm, but Lin Jingyue knew her heart could not possibly be at peace; she carried a heavy load.

The lives of her biological mother and twin sister...

Stepping out of the brigade headquarters, Lin Jingyue sighed inwardly, sensing an overwhelming atmosphere of impending storm.

No wonder people with real foresight were willing to stay put in the countryside during times like these.

Over the weekend, when the students were on break, she made a trip to the county town, which remained as tranquil as ever, completely untouched by external events.

Both Zhou Yan and Jiang寻 had departed. Aside from Yang Ming, the only ones left at the educated youth point were a few young women, and there were bound to be those harboring malicious intentions.

However, out of fear of Lin Jingyue, no one dared to make any reckless moves.

"Jingyue!"

Hearing someone call her name, Lin Jingyue turned around to be greeted by the breathtaking visage of Mu Furong.

"What a coincidence! Come on, let me treat you to a meal at the state-run restaurant." Mu Furong looked genuinely delighted upon seeing Lin Jingyue.

"Why couldn't we have been assigned to the same production brigade? I've been bored to tears."

Led along by Mu Furong and listening to her cheerful chatter, Lin Jingyue couldn't whether to laugh or cry.

Mu Furong was one of the educated youths who had been sent down to the countryside alongside Feng Wanxia and the others, assigned to the Red River Commune, though it was a fair distance away from the Qingshan Production Brigade.

"Lin Jingyue."

Huh? Another acquaintance?

Lin Jingyue turned back to look at Xie Yunzheng, who came trotting up eagerly, waiting for him to continue.

"My brother asked me to give this to you. It was mailed by my aunt." Xie Yunzheng handed the package directly to Lin Jingyue. "Don't say I didn't deliver it to you, or I'm going to get beaten up."

His aunt had a notoriously heavy hand when she struck.

"Got it. I won't let you get beaten up," Lin Jingyue nodded earnestly.

Only after receiving this assurance did Xie Yunzheng turn and trot away.

Turning back, Lin Jingyue caught Mu Furong's sparkling gaze. Before she could say a word, Mu Furong let out an audible sigh. "What a pity."

"A pity?" How so?

"What a pity that I'm already engaged."

"..."

Lin Jingyue rolled her eyes. "Then stop looking. Even if you look at him a hundred times, he's never going to be yours."

"Just... feasting my eyes."

"Whose fiancée is this acting so brazenly?" Lin Jingyue teased, feigning disapproval.

"Hahaha, it's just a nominal arranged marriage anyway, who knows which godforsaken ditch the guy is hiding in."